But I can't work on it yet, because I have various revisions due. I'm trying to chop "White Sheets" and "Silence and the Word" in half for Rasaka's production of Yoni ki Baat -- while I totally understand that some of the more introspective parts don't necessarily play well on stage, I'm still finding it challenging to figure out what to cut. I trimmed a quarter off no problem (which perhaps means I should have done that originally :-), but the rest is tough. The director did send me some edits which may help with that, so that's the next project.
I also just finished some revision -- a few minor tweaks for clarity to "The Arrival," a chapter from Arbitrary Passions, which I'm pleased to say has been accepted to Catamaran. I admit, I had some hopes of publishing it in a more prominent venue (I now have to write a withdrawal letter to Creative Nonfiction), but when a S. Asian-American publication writes to you and says they're doing an issue focused on Sri Lanka and do you have anything, it's pretty hard to say no to that. Catamaran is a nice little journal, and I'm quite pleased about the publication. Hopefully it bodes well for my selling other pieces of the book. Yay!
Sadly, Lori isn't able to come write with me this Tuesday (mother in town), but Dave Lewis said he might make it, so that should help keep my nose to the grindstone. This is the last week of classes; Friday I collect a whole slew of papers and fiction portfolios, spend a weekend grading, and then am off for the holidays -- done with classes until mid-January. Not free of teaching, though -- not only do I have some online writing classes I'm teaching, but I need to do some serious prep for my post-colonial course in the spring. Should be fun work, though. It's mostly all pretty fun work these days.
If I were going to list the things I'm thankful for, in the spirit of the season, fun work would be pretty damn high on my list. Right after my family and friends, in fact. Oh, and my health. I am so thankful for my health. Kavi has a horrible ear infection right now, that has led to a sleepless night for her and us (and a lot of heart-breaking screaming).
Thank god we're mostly healthy around here, because if this sort of thing were chronic, it would break me pretty damn fast, I can tell you! We're dosing her regularly with Tylenol/Motrin (alternating), and are hoping to avoid antibiotics. This may run about a week -- fun. Will keep you updated on how it goes. The poor exhausted munchkin has managed to nap now, which is a blessed relief. Oh, sleep. I should put sleep on my list of things to be thankful for too. When I get it, anyway.
When I was a child, my parents had me sleep on a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel when I had an ear infection. Is this no longer recommended? It surely did make my ear feel better. I remember that quite well from even before the age of four.